ClueBy
TodayArchiveWord list

Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
YesNo
↻ New worksheet

Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: wax · lash · clip · date · squash · race · prune · kid

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. date — the fruit
  5. prune — to trim
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. wax — to grow
  9. kid — to tease
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. clip — a video
  12. kid — child
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. race — the arms race
  15. race — humankind
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. clip — for paper
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. clip — to cut
  21. squash — to crush
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. prune — to trim
  24. race — a contest

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com